1992 Nissan NX on tight budget

07-30-2006, 09:38 PM

So I've been getting ideas and such for the last month but haven't posted much at all. I was going to wait until the car was painted and all before posting pics, but I figure I can update later on the car and the pc. Here's what I've got for right now:

I wired two switches into the shifter console for powering up the inverter and turning on the computer. The screen is removable in seconds via velcro and the stock mounting arm so I can throw it under the seat. I would have loved to mould it right into the dash, but in my neighborhood I'm positive it would have been stolen. Even with the crappy processor it only takes about 28 seconds to come out of hibernate. Basically it's running before i'm to the end of my street. The install is definately not professional looking and the case mounting should generate a few laughs, but all said and done I figure there's about $250 invested, considering the pc was a free hand-me-down. BTW, i highly recommend the "Provision" screen, it has been flawless and is really sharp.

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Yeah definately is not permenant. In western NY it gets pretty cold during the winter so I want to be able to remove the whole thing. The sloppy *** power lead coming thru the rocker cover is for the subwoofer, which has been there for a while. I ran the inverter wire thru the console and firewall. They are both 8ga. and both fused at 30 amps. Trust me I don't want a fire. I could have vacuumed but the shots were taken hastily at my parents house with my dads Canon. I still need to tie everything up neatly, still far from done.

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At least we will know when it does get cut through... sparks, flames, and my favourite, screams of "omfg".

I watched a wire (which was poorly routed, I must admit) get pinched in a door hinge, short to the chassis, and weld itself to the door once.

I also watched a (poorly routed and poorly secured) fog light power wire short out and melt, then burn, 24" or so of insulation off and fill a locked car with smoke before I realized what was going on.

So, after careful inspection, retrospection, and introspection, I've learned to take the time to properly secure my wiring. It really IS worth the extra time it takes...one of the forum members has a sig that reads something like "if you don't have time to do it right the first time, when are you going to have time to fix it?" I find that to be more and more relevant as I get older. :-)